The planet was brighter than ever.
Thanks to that magic stone, the once lifeless land now thrummed with energy. Green fields rolled across the plains, dotted with vivid wildflowers. The sky, no longer clouded with dust and decay, shone a pure, endless blue. For the first time in decades, the villagers felt warmth not born of struggle, but of life itself.
Many of them were still upset that they couldn't leave this place yet. Their dreams of distant cities and reunions with far-off kin would have to wait. But as they watched their children run barefoot through fresh grass, laughter echoing under the sun, they understood. War was far too dangerous for them… and for their families, this hidden sanctuary was a blessing.
At the center of the village, Markus struggled to keep up with the flood of people pressing around him.
"Markus!" one villager called out, tears in his eyes. "We'll miss you so much!"
"Don't forget me, you hear?!" another shouted, gripping his arm tightly.
The old chief stepped forward, leaning heavily on his staff. His weathered hand clasped Markus's with a trembling strength. "You saved us… Markus, we are forever in your debt."
Markus felt his chest tighten. He bowed deeply, his wolf ears drooping slightly.
"I should be the one thanking you," he said softly. "I'm alive because of all of you… and I will forever be grateful."
There was silence for a moment, and then—
"Three cheers for Markus!!"
"W-wait, hold on—!"
Before he could protest, strong hands lifted him into the air.
"Markus! Markus! Markus!" they chanted, tossing him up and catching him again. His cheeks burned red as he flailed helplessly, the villagers laughing with relief and love.
But as he laughed with them, looking over their smiling faces… he noticed something.
Someone was missing.
Iris…
The celebrations blurred into noise as his eyes scanned the crowd. She wasn't there.
As soon as he was back on the ground, Markus slipped away from the cheering villagers. He moved quickly, his boots crunching softly against the blooming grass as he made his way toward the tree line.
He needed to find her. He needed to say goodbye. To thank her properly.
"Iris! Iris!" he called out, his deep voice echoing through the quiet woods.
Birds scattered from low branches as he pushed deeper into the forest. The sunlight filtered down through green leaves, dappling his armor in shifting gold.
It wasn't long before he found her.
She was kneeling in a small clearing, the breeze tugging gently at her ginger hair. Her hands moved delicately, plucking small blue and white flowers from the grass. The basket by her side was already half full.
For a moment, Markus stood there, watching her quietly. His chest felt tight again, but this time… it wasn't from sadness.
"…Iris," he called out softly.
She jumped slightly, turning around in surprise. Her eyes widened as she saw him standing there, sunlight glinting off his armor, his silhouette framed by the glowing forest.
"Markus…" she whispered.
He took a slow step forward, a faint smile crossing his lips.
"I couldn't leave… without saying goodbye."
Iris smiled awkwardly, her hands trembling slightly as she held the basket of flowers to her chest. Her face burned a deep red, so flush it looked feverish.
"I… I was picking flowers for you," she mumbled quickly. Then, without meeting his eyes, she shoved the bundle into his arms. "Well, here you go… you better be off. No need to keep them waiting."
She turned away, stepping past him, her gaze locked on the ground.
But Markus wasn't having it.
He reached out and grabbed her arm gently but firmly.
"Iris… is something wrong?"
Her shoulders tensed. She pulled her arm back quickly, shaking her head. "It's fine, Markus… honestly."
"Yeah, right." His grip tightened again as he held her arm, refusing to let her slip away. His eyes narrowed with quiet strength. "If you have something to say… say it."
She struggled slightly, her breath hitching as tears welled in her eyes. Then she yanked her arm free, clutching it against her chest.
Markus's expression softened, his brows furrowing with worry. "…Iris… I'm sorry."
Her fingers gripped her sleeves so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"My dream…" she whispered, her voice cracking.
"What…?"
She laughed softly, but it was hollow. Broken. "My dream… was to see the world. Or… or so I thought."
She closed her eyes, tears slipping down her flushed cheeks as her shoulders shook.
"But… I was wrong."
She clutched her sides, trembling as the words caught in her throat.
"My dream… my real dream…" Her lips quivered, each word a battle to speak. "…I just wanted… to be cared for."
The breeze blew softly through the forest, scattering fallen leaves around them like drifting memories.
"I had nothing," she continued, her voice breaking with every syllable. "Nobody ever cared about me… My dad… he never did anything about the bullying. I was picked on, beaten, mocked… I wanted to die… so many times…"
She let out another dry, broken laugh, wiping at her eyes roughly. "But I never seemed to be able to go through with it."
She looked up at him, her vision blurred with tears.
"But you, Markus… You cared. You were the only one who stood up for me. Taking care of you… being by your side… it made me so happy."
She took a shaking step forward, her eyes pleading, raw and exposed.
"Markus… I want to be with you… Let me come… Please… I… I…"
Her voice dropped to a trembling whisper.
"I love you."
The wind picked up, blowing her ginger hair around her face, carrying fallen leaves in swirling patterns between them.
Markus stood silent, staring at her with shadowed eyes. Slowly, he stepped forward, his large hand reaching up to brush her hair gently behind her ear.
"Iris…" he said softly.
Her breath hitched at the tenderness in his voice.
But then his eyes darkened. His jaw clenched.
"I'm… disappointed in you."
She flinched as if struck, her tears freezing in her eyes.
"Why… why would you even consider loving me…?" His voice was shaking now, trembling with bitterness. "I'm not a good person, Iris. All I know how to do is kill!! And I'm hardly even good at that…"
He looked away, shoulders trembling under the weight of his own words.
"I couldn't protect my family… I couldn't protect my people… I couldn't even protect myself from becoming what I am."
I have to… break her heart…
I can't give her hope…
Loving me will only hurt her…
I can't get close to anyone else… or I'll just end up hurting them…
"I'm weak," he spat bitterly. "I fail at everything I try to protect. I'm just… a killer. That's all I am."
"I don't care!" she yelled suddenly, her voice cracking with raw emotion. She clenched her fists, tears pouring down her cheeks as she shook her head violently. "I don't care!! You can be a killer… you could be on the wrong side of the war for all I care!!"
She lifted her gaze to him, her eyes burning with desperation.
"Because… I need you, Markus…"
Her tears fell like rain as the leaves whirled around them, the forest silent in witness to her confession.Markus bit down hard on his lip, nearly drawing blood. His face remained empty—cold, distant—as he stepped past her without a word.
But before he could take another step, Iris threw her arms around him from behind, burying her face against his back. Her fingers clutched desperately at his cloak, as if letting go would steal the last warmth from her soul.
"Markus…" she whispered, her voice shaking with tears. "You don't have to say all those things… I know you don't mean them… well, most of them."
He froze.
"Remember…?" she continued softly. "I can hear your heart."
Markus's fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.
"I know…" Iris whispered, her voice trembling with each word. "I know everything you say… it's out of love. You're afraid, aren't you? Afraid if you die… you'll hurt me…"
He squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"But… being lied to hurts just as bad…" she continued, tears dripping onto his back. "I would rather you just say… that you're not interested…"
Markus's shoulders trembled before he turned around sharply. His strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest as her tears soaked into his shirt.
"Iris…" he breathed, his voice cracking for the first time in years. "I'm sorry… I'm such an idiot…"
She let out a tiny, wet laugh, her arms wrapping around him tighter. "Yeah… you are…"
He pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "I… I like you too, Iris… but love… I'm not sure. I… I can't say I do… not right now… I can't love anyone at this point…"
Iris sniffled, wiping her tears roughly with the back of her hand as she looked up into his pained eyes.
"Markus…" she whispered, her voice breaking, "after the war… can you come back… and give me your answer? When the war's over…"
He looked at her, her tear-streaked face glowing in the afternoon sun. For a moment, something in his chest twisted painfully.
"…I will."
"No… promise me."
Markus hesitated. He didn't know why… why he would promise something like this, why he would burden himself with such hope. But her eyes, shining with desperate determination, wouldn't let him lie.
"…I promise."
She smiled through her tears and punched his chest lightly. "Don't you dare break it… you hear me?"
He chuckled softly, lowering his head so she wouldn't see the tears welling in his own eyes.
"…Yeah. I hear you."
They stayed like that for a long while, holding each other in the quiet forest. The breeze rustled the leaves above, carrying the scent of blooming flowers around them. Markus closed his eyes, feeling her trembling breaths against his chest, her warmth grounding him in a way he hadn't felt in years.
Finally, he lowered his head, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her ginger hair.
Iris stiffened for a moment, then melted into him, tears still rolling silently down her cheeks.
They stayed like that—just holding each other—until the sun dipped low, and the world around them turned gold.
***
All of Angel Squad stepped onto the transport ship, the metal ramp clanging beneath their boots. As the engines roared to life, Markus paused at the entrance, turning to look back at the village one last time. The people waved at him, their faces glowing with hope under the rising sun.
Arnik walked up beside him, smirking. "How does it feel… to be back?"
Markus took a quiet breath, his gaze soft. "…It's… well, it's good to be back."
"We all missed you," Aika said, her voice gentle as she smiled at him. "…A lot."
Markus scratched the back of his neck, ears drooping slightly. "Sorry for making you all worry…"
Rose sighed dramatically, crossing her arms. "We all just started taking our new-found resolve seriously… but now that you're back—welp, guess it's time to convert back," she laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a smirk.
Chop!
"Ouch! Seriously, Kai?!"
Kai smirked, but before he could step back, Rose punched him hard in the shoulder, knocking him over.
"Argh… ouch…"
Everyone burst out laughing, the ship echoing with warmth and life.
***
They soon arrived back at the main ship, the Starry Child docking into its massive hangar bay. As they stepped out into the bright lights of the facility, two figures were waiting for them.
Malrik Crowne leaned against a crate, smirking darkly. "Well, well, well… look who's back."
Beside him stood Vayne, holding a porcelain teacup delicately between his fingers. He took a slow sip, his golden eyes half-lidded with polite disinterest.
"While I enjoy an elegant reunion as much as the next person," he drawled, lowering the cup, "we really do need to book it back to Mercury. Having our prized squad gone for too much longer would be… devastating."
Arnik chuckled, clapping Markus on the back hard enough to make him grunt. "Right! Oh, and Markus… there's a lot I need to tell you about. And I mean a lot."
Aika giggled, leaning closer to Kai and Rose with a sly grin. "Yeah… like how Kai and Rose have a—"
Both Kai and Rose slapped their hands over her mouth instantly.
Rose hissed in her ear, "No telling Markus! We'll… tell him when the time comes!"
Aika nodded rapidly before they let her go, her cheeks puffed out in a pout.
Arnik folded his arms, glancing at Aika with a smile. "Oh, and Markus… turns out Aika found her father."
Markus blinked, turning to her in surprise. "Really?"
Aika rubbed her head awkwardly. "Well… more like… he showed up…"
Markus chuckled softly. "Heh… turns out to be a powerful mage, huh?"
Arnik nodded. "One of the strongest we've ever seen."
Markus smiled warmly. "I can't wait to meet him then."
But before Aika could respond, her eyes drooped, and her head bobbed forward as she let out a tiny yawn. "…As soon as we get—yawn—back…"
Her head slumped against Markus's shoulder, fast asleep.
Rose grinned. "Well, looks like her battery ran out."
Arnik raised his fist into the air. "Guess we'll have to start the party without her!"
Aika jolted awake instantly. "W-WAIT, NO, I'M AWAKE!"
Rose laughed, ruffling her hair. "Too late! TAKOYAKI PARTY 2.0 starts now!"
"YEAHHHHHH!!!!"They made their way to the cafeteria, their footsteps echoing in excited rhythm.
Rose was at the counter, tying her hair back with a determined grin as she began whisking the takoyaki batter, flour dusting her pink strands.
Arnik and Kai were busy… holding back Markus, who struggled furiously against their grip.
"Let me help with something!" Markus growled, his wolf ears flicking back in annoyance.
"Absolutely not," Kai snapped, gripping his left arm tightly.
Arnik grunted as he held Markus's right. "Last time you 'helped,' you nearly burned half the barracks kitchen down."
Meanwhile, Aika hummed softly as she set out plates and chopsticks, her smile warm and gentle.
Rose glanced over her shoulder with an amused scoff. "Let the professionals handle this, big guy."
Markus slumped into a chair with a pout, arms crossed, tail flicking in irritation as Arnik and Kai sighed in relief.
And so, preparations continued—
Batter was mixed.
Pans were heated.
Voices rose in teasing and laughter.
For a moment, it felt like there was no war… only friends, warmth, and the smell of takoyaki filling the air.They gathered around the table, steam rising from the fresh takoyaki piled high on plates.
Markus took a bite first, his eyes widening. "Hot—hot—hot!" he yelped, waving his hand in front of his mouth while everyone burst out laughing.
Arnik chuckled as he chewed thoughtfully, nodding in approval. "Not bad, Rose."
Kai munched silently beside him, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched Aika practically inhale three in a row, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
Rose smirked proudly, twirling her chopsticks between her fingers. "Of course it's good. I made it."
For that brief moment, as they sat there together munching happily, surrounded by warmth and laughter…
It felt like everything was going to be okay.